THROWBACK THURSDAY: Go Red For Women Survivor Class 2016

We've partnered with the American Heart Association of Central New York for their 'Go Red For Women' Campaign for many years. As we get ready for the 2018 Go Red For Women Luncheon, we want to look back at the many survivors we've featured over the years...

Today, we want to take a look back at the eight women who shared their survivor stories with us back in 2016: Mary Jane Tottey, Ondrea Grippe Getz, Mia Palmer, Lenora Murad, Kathryn O'Neill, Marion Davis, Christine Meyers, and Anne Schug-Williams. Each one of these wonderful women shared with us how heart attack, stroke, heart disease, or other heart conditions affected them firsthand.

ANNE SCHUG-WILLIAMS

Anne Schug-Williams had the signs of a heart attack: pain in her chest and pain in her left arm that ran from her fingertips to her shoulder. Unfortunately, she didn't realize what was happening. She went to the doctor and found out she had indeed, had a heart attack. Hear her story in the video below:

CHRISTINE MEYERS

For 30 years, Christine Meyers thought she was suffering from panic attacks. Doctors prescribed her medicine for her nerves, not knowing it was something much more. Here's her unique story:

MARION DAVIS

Marion Davis' life changed drastically in one day. She went to the doctor and found out she had high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and sleep apnea. Her doctor told her if she continued to live her life the way she was - making poor eating choices, smoking, and not exercising - she would be dead in a year.

KATHRYN O'NEILL

Kathryn was diagnosed with an unknown heart condition that can cause fatal arrhythmia, called Brugada Syndrome. It is also known as the "sudden death syndrome." Kathryn's brother passed away from an unknown heart condition. Both Kathryn and her sister tested positive for the disease, and now have defibrillators helping their heart beat 'correct.'

LENORA MURAD

Lenora went to see a cardiologist and found out she had a heart murmur. After putting her own health on hold to take care of her sister, she finally went back to the doctor and mentioned she was having other symptoms. Lenora ended up being in cognitive heart failure - This is her story:

MIA PALMER

Mia woke up in the middle of the night with chest pains. She went to take something for the pain, but then it really hit. She knew something was seriously wrong. Mia called 911 and later, woke up in the ICU. The doctors told her she had had a heart attack.

ONDREA GRIPPE GETZ

Ondrea was born with a heart issue she didn't know she had. It became apparent when she was just seven-years-old, when her fingernails began to turn blue, and same with the inside of her mouth. Hear Ondrea's story in the video below:

MARY JANE TOTTEY

Cardiovascular disease and stroke issues have been a part of Mary Jane's life for quite some time. When she was just 10-years-old, she found her mother on the floor - She had suffered a heart attack. Mary Jane decided to be proactive and ask for a stress test from her doctor, even though she had no symptoms. It was a good thing she did...

First of all, we want to thank all these wonderful women for sharing their heart stories with us and bringing awareness to women's heart health. Over the next few weeks, we'll be bringing you the stories of the 2018 Go Red For Women Survivor Class members, and we'll be taking a look at past survivor class members. We'll also keep you updated on Go Red For Women events coming up in Central New York, like the Go Red For Women Luncheon. That special event is coming up on May 2nd at Hart's Hill Inn. You can get more details on the luncheon at the link below:

And make sure you follow Lite 98.7 on Facebook, and continue to check back, as we bring you more stories from local heart survivors, all while helping to bring awareness to women's heart health and the Go Red For Women Campaign.

BONUS VIDEO: